Grounding Breath and Pinch Pots

" ..the awareness in our hands is alive and continuous. The feeling of our lives will be awake in our fingers. We befriend the clay. The clay befriends us."

- Mary Caroline Richards, 1971

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A simple, focused, individual practice was to create a pinch-pot, inspired by the work of Berensohn (1997). This practice utilized the technique of creating an opening while observing the breath and body. We began with a ball about the size of a lemon. Next, we begin opening the ball with an inhale and then by inserting a thumb to the center with an exhale. Then by slowly rotating the clay in the palm and pinching the sides, the clay begins to widen and responds to the pressure, rotation, and support of the hands. We found a rhythm of inhaling, pinching with an exhale. This practice invited open awareness, observation, and the notation that the opening of the pinch pot symbolizes a center in which external forces change the walls of the clay. This simple activity is symbolic of life's external forces on mindful awareness and our how we respond, much like how the clay responds to our touch.

During the reflective dialogue, a participant made an observation during reflection of their bowl to be a reminder of a begging bowl, which was an interesting parallel to a necessary vessel for the nourishment of life. Another participant commented on how they were able to connect to chronic pain and could feel pinching of the clay providing space and release of the tightness.

Participants were invited to observe their pinch pot and place it on their board as a first installation of the retreat.

Reference:

Berensohn, P. S., & Kelly, T. (1997). Finding one’s way with clay: Creating pinched pottery and working with colored clays (25th ed.). Clay Biscuit Books.